Biomedical subjects

Frank Kunst

Publications and source records attributed to Frank Kunst.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Genome sequence of Streptococcus agalactiae, a pathogen causing invasive neonatal disease.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a commensal bacterium colonizing the intestinal tract of a significant proportion of the human population. However, it is also a pathogen which is the leading cause of invasive infections in neonates and causes septicaemia, meningitis and pneumonia. We sequenced the genome of the serogroup III strain NEM316, responsible for a fatal case of septicaemia. The genome is 2 211 485 base pairs long and contains 2118 protein coding genes. Fifty-five per cent of the predicted genes have an ortholog in the Streptococcus pyogenes genome, representing a conserved backbone between these two streptococci. Among the genes in S. agalactiae that lack an ortholog in S. pyogenes, 50% are clustered within 14 islands. These islands contain known and putative virulence genes, mostly encoding surface proteins as well as a number of genes related to mobile elements. Some of these islands could therefore be considered as pathogenicity islands. Compared with other pathogenic streptococci, S. agalactiae shows the unique feature that pathogenicity islands may have an important role in virulence acquisition and in genetic diversity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

DiffTool: building, visualizing and querying protein clusters.

UNLABELLED: DiffTool is a resource to build and visualize protein clusters computed from a sequence database. The package provides a clustering tool to construct protein families according to sequence similarities and a web interface to query the corresponding clusters. A subtractive genome analysis tool selects protein families specific for a genome or a group of genomes. For each protein cluster, DiffTool includes access to sequences, coloured multiple alignments and phylogenetic trees. AVAILABILITY: A cluster database built from yeast and complete prokaryotic genomes is queryable at http://bioweb.pasteur.fr/seqanal/difftool. All the Perl sources are freely available to non-profit organizations upon request.

Cluster Analysis↗

PubMed2002

Identification, characterization, and regulation of a cluster of genes involved in carbapenem biosynthesis in Photorhabdus luminescens.

The luminescent entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens produces several yet-uncharacterized broad-spectrum antibiotics. We report the identification and characterization of a cluster of eight genes (named cpmA to cpmH) responsible for the production of a carbapenem-like antibiotic in strain TT01 of P. luminescens. The cpm cluster differs in several crucial aspects from other car operons. The level of cpm mRNA peaks during exponential phase and is regulated by a Rap/Hor homolog identified in the P. luminescens genome. Marker-exchange mutagenesis of this gene in the entomopathogen decreased antibiotic production. The luxS-like signaling mechanism of quorum sensing also plays a role in the regulation of the cpm operon. Indeed, luxS, which is involved in the production of a newly identified autoinducer, is responsible for repression of cpm gene expression at the end of the exponential growth phase. The importance of this carbapenem production in the ecology of P. luminescens is discussed.

Antibiosis↗

PubMed2002

The PhlA hemolysin from the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens belongs to the two-partner secretion family of hemolysins.

Photorhabdus is an entomopathogenic bacterium symbiotically associated with nematodes of the family Heterorhabditidae. Bacterial hemolysins found in numerous pathogenic bacteria are often virulence factors. We describe here the nucleotide sequence and the molecular characterization of the Photorhabdus luminescens phlBA operon, a locus encoding a hemolysin which shows similarities to the Serratia type of hemolysins. It belongs to the two-partner secretion (TPS) family of proteins. In low-iron conditions, a transcriptional induction of the phlBA operon was observed by using the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, causing an increase in PhlA hemolytic activity compared to iron-rich media. A spontaneous phase variant of P. luminescens was deregulated in phlBA transcription. The phlA mutant constructed by allelic exchange remained highly pathogenic after injection in the lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis, indicating that PhlA hemolysin is not a major virulence determinant. Using the gene encoding green fluorescent protein as a reporter, phlBA transcription was observed in hemolymph before insect death. We therefore discuss the possible role of PhlA hemolytic activity in the bacterium-nematode-insect interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

FindTarget: software for subtractive genome analysis.

In silico subtractive/differential genome analysis is a powerful approach for identifying genus- or species-specific genes, or groups of genes that are responsible for a unique phenotype. By this method, one searches for genes present in one group of bacteria and absent in another group. A software package has been developed, named FindTarget, that has a user-friendly web interface to facilitate differential genome analysis. The user chooses the genomes to compare, the similarity criteria and the thresholds to decide if a gene has a counterpart in another genome. The searches are based on BLASTP comparisons of proteomes. FindTarget also includes access to sequences, coloured multiple alignments, phylogenetic trees of conserved proteins and links to public annotated databases which provide a means for validation of the results. To illustrate this approach, a FindTarget search for genes putatively involved in the specificity of cell envelope synthesis of Gram-negative bacteria is presented. The results show that most of the identified genes are clearly involved in cell wall processes, underlining the power of such an approach in general and that of FindTarget in particular.

Bacterial Proteins↗